I Wanna Watch the Way You Take the Stage by Storm
by fujikawaii10346
Summary: Alternately Titled: Dear [Iruka] Count Me In Collected drabbles not necessarily connected, but all Iruka centric. Various AUs/Canon U involving a young Iruka trying to make his way through the perils of adolescence.
1. Chapter 1

The first thing I've published since June 2013. The first purely anime thing I've published since November 2011. First naruto thing I've published since 2009? Um. Thank you tumblr user Irukas and some others for inspiring me to write hah. .ah yeah.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

Wordcount: 1000  
Warnings: Underage drinking, smoking, partying, teenagers being idiots

* * *

It's the start of their second half of Junior year and Iruka was antsy, eager to get some alcohol into him.

He knew it was the last chance he'd get to let loose before it was crunch time. Iruka knew that he would have to bury himself in schoolwork, volunteer work, extracurriculars and sports to keep his perfect record attractive to potential colleges. Just thinking about it was enough to make his head explode!

Iruka weaved his way through a sea of students expertly, finding the cheap plastic laden with bottles upon bottles of alcohol: liqueurs, spirits, mixers, sodas, and colorful plastic cups. He sorted through the bottles, looking for his favorite brand of vodka.

An arm reached past him to pull out a bottle of Smirnoff. Iruka's eyes locked onto the bottle hungrily until it stopped just under Kakashi's nose. Kakashi smiled innocently and Iruka's eyes narrowed.

"'Kashi baby I love you a lot," Iruka said as he stepped toward his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around his neck… Tugging him harshly downward. "But if you don't give me that bottle now I won't be held responsible for any harm that might come to you."

Iruka could feel Kakashi gulp nervously against his chest, trying to keep Iruka from choking him. After a moment, he relented.

Kakashi handed the bottle to Iruka, who immediately poured a generous amount into his cup, before taking a gulp that looked to be the equivalent of at least two shots.

"I-Iruka you might want to slow down a bit."

Iruka shook his head, reeling from the intense sensations of the alcohol being swallowed so quickly. He glared at Kakashi and poked at the other boy's chest roughly. "No! Fuck you stupid seniors! You already know where you're going. I have to- I still have to be an Overachieving Oliver until apps are in!"

Kakashi sighed and tuned the younger man out; he'd heard this rant enough times that he could probably recite it from memory. But they were at a party right now, and the whole point of bringing Iruka here was to get him to loosen up… So he quickly silenced Iruka before he could get to the part about not having time to do everything because there were _literally not enough days in the week_- _fuck Hermoine i need that time turner more than her! Who do I have to blackmail to get one of those?- _and whipped up a fruity drink with more alcohol than one would expect, shoving it in Iruka's face.

…

The party was lively, and with Iruka loosening up, it was a lot easier for Kakashi to enjoy himself. He was with Ibiki and Raidou, a little bit bored at their conversation (about the books they were reading in English no less! Jesus, didn't these two know how to party at all? If there was a list of party going rules, "discussing Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky" would be right under "don't get yourself seriously injured").

Plus, he had better things to do. Like figure out where Iruka had wandered off to. He had last seen the bouncy ponytail following a bandana-covered head out into the back yard.

"Uh, sorry guys," Kakashi interrupted just as Ibiki was about to start a new discussion who the tragic hero _really _was in Antigone, "I have to take a leak."

He quickly made his way through the door to the backyard, gasping and taking in the crisp night air, as well as some stray smoke from Asuma and Genma standing by the ashtray. "Have either of you seen Iruka?"

Genma lazily flicked his cigarette in the direction going deeper into the Gekko family's backyard. "By the treehouse I think."

"Thanks." Kakashi nodded and quickly sauntered (Kakashi Hatake-captain of the track team, vice-president of the National Honors Society club, most probably candidate for valedictorian, and overall cool kid- does not fast walk. Fast-walking is for nerds that are always running late like Obito.) to the tree. He knew that the little wooden shack was placed quite high on the old oak tree. What if Iruka fell out of it in his drunken stupor? How did he even get up there? (Another thing _the Kakashi Hatake_ does not do is fret like a mother hen. He prefers to calmly express concern. There _is _a difference, thank you very much.)

When he got to the tree, there was no Iruka in sight, but there were two of Iruka's friends standing under it, snickering conspiratorially. "Hey have you two seen Iruka?"

"Yep!" Kotetsu answered, smirking smugly.

"Really?"

"Yep!" This time, Izumo was the one that answered, straightening his already skewed bandana.

Kakashi frowned. Drunk Kotetsu and Izumo were even more difficult to deal with than sober Kotetsu and Izumo. He really did not want to deal with this right now. "Do you want to tell me where?"

The pair grinned at each other and pointed up. Curious, Kakashi followed hands, all the way up to-

"Kashi lookit this!"

Then Iruka was falling.

Kakashi had always thought that these types of things would go in slow motion- _something_ about adrenaline gong through his system from seeing his sweetheart flapping around like a flightless bird jumping off a cliff. _Something _so that he could catch Iruka in the nick of time and they could hop in his '97 Honda and drive off into the sunset.

Iruka landed right on top of Kotetsu and Izumo, groaning and laughing. "H-Haha, ow I think I landed on my leg!" and something about that was apparently funny enough to cause the three juniors to burst out into giggles.

"Iruka!"

The giggling boy blinked up at Kakashi, "Yeah?"

"What the hell was that!"

Iruka tilted his head, not quite sure how to respond. His head was hurting quite a bit actually, and his leg was starting to go numb. His head lolled back, and he caught a glimpse of movement through the entrance of the treehouse. "Kashi?"

"What?!"

"I think you should-"

"Look out below!"

"-move."


	2. Chapter 2

ngl i started this several weeks ago. i wrote the drunk iruka thing in like a couple hours but i've been working on this one for weeks why this.

um lots of weird things with tenses sorry i'm still trying to get back into writing 3rd person present tense

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."

warnings: light negative talk, little angst, fluff, what is in character sorry this is the problem with writing side-characters especially during their pre-canon days.

* * *

Iruka knows he isn't supposed to be ditching class like this.

After much encouragement from the Hokage and Raidou-san, Iruka began polishing his skills and showed the academy instructors that he was certainly one of their brightest students. Now, final exams were just around the corner and Iruka actually had a chance to graduate a year early!

He definitely isn't going to let this chance get 's a big deal for Iruka to become a shinobi; to earn his own living through his own work instead of being forced to live off of the meager pension that all orphans got.

But, as close to emancipation as he is, Iruka is still a boy who enjoys playing with his friends and joking around. It isn't his fault that Mizuki could be a little… harsh with his words sometimes.

So here he is, still sitting in the corner of Ichiraku Ramen even though lunch break ended almost an hour ago. Thankfully Teuchi-san hasn't said anything and instead gave him a solid pat on the shoulder and an extra slice of pork in his mostly cooled ramen.

The flaps at the front of the store rustle as a new customer walks in. Iruka doesn't acknowledge them, keeping his head bowed down towards his bowl. He doesn't realize who they are until he hears a familiar voice and feels a large hand on his back.

"Iruka?"

Crap.

"What are you doing out of school?"

He turns slowly and smiles weakly up at the closest person to a brother he's ever had. "Hi Rai-nii! Oh yeah, about that. They.. Let us out early!"

Raidou raises an eyebrow, "Let you out, eh? You must've run pretty fast to make it here since I just walked past the academy. Suzume-sensei was just in the middle of her lecture on proper weapon maintenance. It didn't look like she'd be getting done any time soon."

Iruka's smile wavers for a moment before falling. His eyes look at his hands curled together on his lap, lips pulled down into a frown.

"What happened little guy?"

The air between them is thick, as if the sounds of the busy street outside and Teuchi-san mixing up his signature Ichiraku broth were on a completely separate plane of existence.

"It's nothing," Iruka mumbles.

"What was that?"

"It's nothing!" And with that, Iruka reaches into his pocket and slaps some bills and coins onto the table before rushing out of the restaurant.

Raidou looks after the boy's retreating form, quickly blending into the crowd. Teuchi-san frowns and shakes his head from behind the counter. "Iruka is a good kid, but that boy's been through a lot this past year."

The young jounin nods solemnly and sighs, letting his head drop to rest on the counter. "Tell me about it."

"Ah well- here you go." Something is placed onto the counter beside him, and Raidou looks up curiously. It's a bowl of take-out ramen.

He points at it questioningly, confused as to what the older man wants him to do.

"Well, you're going to go after him right?" Teuchi-san asks as if it's the most obvious thing to do. "Go, Namiashi-san. He needs someone right now."

With a nod, Raidou is on his way. One quick trip to pick up some of Iruka's favorite treats later, Raidou finds himself on Iruka's front porch, knocking intently at the door. "Iruka! Iruka open up!"

"Go away!"

"Iruka come on tell me what's wrong!"

"No! Go away go away go away!"

"Iruka please come on open the door!"

"No I don't need your help go away Raidou!"

"But I brought ramen and cake!"

A pause.

"Come on let me in or else the mochi ice cream will melt!"

"...What flavor?" comes the hesitant reply. Raidou smiles, hook-

"Azuki- your favorite!"

Slow footsteps could be heard from the inside.

"Iruka?"

Raidou could hear the physical locks come undone, and a ripple of energy as the chakra locks are disabled as well. The knob turns and pulls the door back as it reveals a small boy huddled under a large comforter, eyes red and cheeks still damp.

"I want that ice cream."

…

The two settled themselves on the couch with Iruka still wrapped in the thick blankets perched comfortably on Raidou's lap munching on a slice of cake.

"What happened Ru?"

"Nothing," he mumbles.

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"I said It's nothing! We were just messing around it's nobody's fault I'm just a big baby okay!" Iruka huffs and finishes the pastry, leaving only a small strawberry in the center of the plate which he roughly spears with the fork. "Do you want the strawberry?" he demands.

Now Raidou knew something was definitely wrong. Iruka always ate the strawberry- even occasionally swiping the one from Raidou's slice. But with Iruka glaring at him like that, Raidou knew that he had no other choice. He opens his mouth, and Iruka all but shoves it into his mouth.

Iruka sets the plate on the coffee table and re-wraps himself in the blanket, burrowing his head into Raidou's soft uniform shirt. "Mizuki said that no one could ever love me with a big ugly scar on my face."

Raidou stiffens.

"The other kids were laughing… They were saying how bad of a ninja I am because I couldn't even do-dodge," Iruka swallows, his hand gripping the hem of Raidou's shirt.

The older man hugs Iruka tighter, not mentioning how he could feel the front of his shirt grow damp and the way Iruka's breathing was growing erratic with suppressed sobs. "Iruka… You know that's not true. You're going to be a great shinobi- you've already proved to your teachers that if you put your mind to it, you could definitely be the top student in all of your classes."

"B-But!"

"Ru, you told me you were three when you first got that scar. There's no way a three year old would have the reflexes to stop a weapon from coming at them- unless you're some sort of genius!" Raidou snorts, poking Iruka through the blanket, but no response comes.

His smile softens as he begins pulling the covers away to uncover Iruka's face, blotchy and tear streaked. "Iruka, you know you're a good shinobi. You know the theory like the back of your hand, and you've been working on the practical things so much that you're already at genin level. Don't listen to them, okay?"

Iruka pouts and nods, scrubbing at his cheeks. "Okay…" He quickly sheds the rest of the blanket cocoon and tackles Raidou with a sudden hug, smiling bigger than he has all day. "Thanks Rai-nii!"

Smiling, Raidou hugs Iruka back, grinning just as wide as the young boy. "I'm happy to hear that! You wanna have dinner at my place?"

Iruka beams, "Yeah!"


End file.
